Hell is for Real

Hell is for Real

Pastor Jeff Lasseigne

July 31, 2014

Matthew 25

Genesis 12:3 NIV

[3] I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you. ”

The good news is heaven is for real, the bad news is that hell is for real.

10 Realities About Hell:

Matthew 25:31-34,41,46 NIV

[31] “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. [32] All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. [33] He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left. [34] “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. [41] “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. [46] “Then they will go away to eternal punishment, but the righteous to eternal life. ”

1. He'll is not a myth.

People deny that hell exist so that they can live without feeling accountable to it.

Jesus referred to hell several times.

We live in a society where it is wrong to say anything is wrong.

Many people today say they believe in Heaven but not in hell.

That is not what Jesus says in the Bible.

2. Hell was created by God.

It was a place if punishment.

Matthew 10:28 NIV

[28] Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

3. Hell was not created for people.

We hear people say, how can a living God create hell?

Matthew 25:41 NIV

[41] “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels.

Revelation 12:4 NIV

[4] Its tail swept a third of the stars out of the sky and flung them to the earth. The dragon stood in front of the woman who was about to give birth, so that it might devour her child the moment he was born.

In Genesis 3, the devil was already a fallen angel.

God sent His Son to die for our sin, if we reject that remedy then we are a sending ourselves to hell.

Heaven reminds us that God is living and kind; hell reminds us that God is holy and just.

Luke 16:23-31 NIV

[23] In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. [24] So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’ [25] “But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. [26] And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’ [27] “He answered, ‘Then I beg you, father, send Lazarus to my family, [28] for I have five brothers. Let him warn them, so that they will not also come to this place of torment.’ [29] “Abraham replied, ‘They have Moses and the Prophets; let them listen to them.’ [30] “ ‘No, father Abraham,’ he said, ‘but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’ [31] “He said to him, ‘If they do not listen to Moses and the Prophets, they will not be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.’ ”

4. Hell is a place of awareness and torment.

Lazarus was aware of his own torment.

Better to beg bread on earth, then water in hell.

When people are suffering in hell, they are thinking about their family in friends that will join them. That is one of the torments of hell.

There is no such thing as soul sleep.

There are no more chances after death.

5. Hell's location is unknown

Many say it is in the center of the earth.

Revelation 9:1-3 NKJV

[1] Then the fifth angel sounded: And I saw a star fallen from heaven to the earth. To him was given the key to the bottomless pit. [2] And he opened the bottomless pit, and smoke arose out of the pit like the smoke of a great furnace. So the sun and the air were darkened because of the smoke of the pit. [3] Then out of the smoke locusts came upon the earth. And to them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power.

Others say, maybe it is in a black hole in the universe.

But the Bible does not say for certain where it is.

It does say it is a place of flames and torment.

In hell there is no hope, not even the hope of dying.

6. Hell has degrees of punishment.

Matthew 11:21-24 NKJV

[21] "Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. [22] But I say to you, it will be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon in the day of judgment than for you. [23] And you, Capernaum, who are exalted to heaven, will be brought down to Hades; for if the mighty works which were done in you had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. [24] But I say to you that it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment than for you."

Revelation 20:12 NKJV

[12] And I saw the dead, small and great, standing before God, and books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the Book of Life. And the dead were judged according to their works, by the things which were written in the books.

There is a comfort in knowing that someone evil like Hitler will suffer more than the person that rejects God and does not do other bad things. But there will be torment.

7. Hell gladly accepts anyone.

They will all have in common, rejection of God.

8. Satan is not the ruler of hell.

The day will come where he is the prisoner of hell. Right now Satan is roaming free in earth.

Revelation 1:18 NKJV

[18] I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen. And I have the keys of Hades and of Death.

9. Hell is eternal.

We hear a lot of non-biblical things that say hell does not exist. There are people who call themselves Christians that deny an eternal hell.

2 Thessalonians 1:9 NKJV

[9] These shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of His power,

Revelation 20:10 NKJV

[10] The devil, who deceived them, was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are. And they will be tormented day and night forever and ever.

We should be moved to pray for people who are lost. We should want to share our faith. We should give thanks to God for saving us.

We do not deserve this love of God.

10. Hell is one of two destinies.

There is no third option.

We can be on a road to destruction and not even realize it.

Ezekiel 33:11 NKJV

[11] Say to them: 'As I live,' says the Lord GOD, 'I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn, turn from your evil ways! For why should you die, O house of Israel?'

The Lord does not want to see us go to hell. That is why He sent His Son.

John 3:16 NKJV

[16] For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.

People will go to hell unsaved, but they will not go unloved.